Station News

20 July

Three ALB shouts this afternoon. The first was at around 13:40 when the Alfred Albert Williams launched to take over the tow from the Sandown & Shanklin Inshore Lifeboat of a 38ft motor cruiser with 2 persons onboard that had broken down off St Catherine's Point earlier in the day. The motor cruiser was subsequently towed into Portsmouth. On returning to Bembridge the ALB carried out a hi-line training exercise with the Coastguard helicopter; she was re-housed by 16:00.

26th June

The Alfred Albert Williams launched at around 00:10 to assist a single handed 32 foot sailing yacht that had left Falmouth 3 days ago and was midway between Bembridge & Langstone snagged on either a fishing net or lobster pot. The ALB successfully freed the yacht using a grapple and as her engine was not working towed her into Haslar Marina. The Alfred Albert Williams returned to Bembridge and was re-housed by 02:20.

18th May

The ALB & ILB were launched just after 18:00 in support of the local Coastguard and Police following the report of a possible missing person who was thought to have stolen a speedboat from the Driftwood Bar area in Sandown Bay. Both boats were subsequently stood down at 18:45 and returned to Bembridge when it was confirmed that the suspect had been apprehended ashore by the Police.

13th April

The "Alfred Albert Williams" was launched at 01.36 Sunday morning to medically evacuate a 53 year old man with suspected appendicitis. The casualty, a member of the crew of the training vessel "Roald Amundsen" which was anchored off of Ryde Pier, was transported to the Camber Dock in Portsmouth where he was conveyed to the local hospital by the ambulance service.

26th February (2)

1. Whilst out on vibration tests the ALB was tasked by Solent Coastguard to check out a report of a "raft" being sighted in the vicinity of Spitbank Fort by a passer-by on Southsea Seafront. Nothing spotted and the incident was closed just after 15:00.

In view of the lumpy conditions on the inshore slipway, the initial request by Solent CG for the ILB was changed to the ALB which launched at 02:10 to assist the local CG teams search the inner Mill Pond in Bembridge Harbour with the Y boat for a possible missing person.

After an extensive search no one was found and the ALB was successfully recovered (using breasting lines) at 03:25. Watch a clip of the recovery in the Multimedia (Video) section.

1st December

ALB launched at c14:30 to a broken down 24' angling boat with two crew on board just south of the Nab that was taking in water. The vessel was pumped out & recovered to Portsmouth. The Alfred Albert Williams was back at Bembridge around 17:00.

23rd November

ILB was placed on immediate readiness to launch at c11:30 in case it was required to assist in an on-going incident on Culver Down. In the event, it was successfully resolved by the Coastguard & Police, so a launch was not required.

10th November

ALB launched c13:40 to a walking casevac onboard a container ship which they RV'd with off the Nab Tower.

The casualty was dropped off at the Town Camber Portsmouth and taken to hospital in the local Coastguard vehicle when the ambulance was diverted to a higher priority task.

6 October

ALB launched at 11:30 to RV with a yacht 15 nm SE of St Catherines Point who had come across a body thought to possibly the crew member from the MSC Opera who had gone missing on 24 September.

On arrival on scene the crew were able to recover the body using the Y boat and the transom platform. They then RV'd with a Police Launch which had also been tasked to assist and transfered the body bag to them.

26th September

ALB launched at 23:15 for a medivac from a cruise ship 20+ nm South of Bembridge. An 86 year lady who had embarked at Southampton earlier in the day had fallen and badly broken her arm and needed casevacing to Portsmouth escorted by her husband.